Thursday, August 12, 2010

Time to blog

I'm soooo sorry! I posted a schedule for when to expect new posts over on my other blog (my life), so I promise that I'll post at least once a week.

Anyways, my beauty tip of the week is all about confidence. I know that confidence is a very cliche thing, but it really does work. When you love yourself, others will naturally be drawn to you. So keep your chin up, and fake it until you make it :).

I know this has been a very brief blog, and I promise to delve into this topic on a later date, but it's 2:53 AM and I need some sleep.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Dos and Don'ts of Lip Liner


Lip liner is probably one of my favorite beauty products. You absolutely HAVE to use it correctly though, or you will just end up committing a major faux paux.


Benefits of lip liner:
1) added volume
2)added definition
3)longer lasting color


You need to be extremely meticulous when applying lip liner if you want to apply it correctly.


My top two tips are:
A) Match the shade with your lipstick
B) Always focus on outlining, and not filling


A) Match the shade with your lipstick:
Believe it or not, a fad for a while was to use different colors of lipsticks and lip liners. This look was just too busy and contrasting, inevitably killing the fad very quickly. Here's the bottom line: Make sure the color of your lipstick and lip liner is as similar as possible.


B) Always focus on outlining, and not filling:
If you are in a rush to make it to work/school on time, I advise you don't use lip liner at all. Properly applied lip liner takes a bit of time. You always need to apply it with a light hand, making a think and precise line that follows the shape of your lips as closely as possible. After your lip liner is precise, you need to put on your lipstick/gloss and make sure you blend blend BLEND! This seems to be the number one beauty rule for every type of make up. Blended lips make you look professional and put together. Also, when your lipstick eventually begins to fade (see my other post for tips to prolong the color), your lip liner will be all that is left when it was blended correctly. 

Lipstick Tricks From my Experience

I'm a full time student, so I don't have a lot of money to spend on make up products. To be completely honest, I really do buy everything from Wal-Mart. It's pretty classy, I know, but it works well for me. Alright so in my experience lip products are always the most dreaded part of a gal's make up routine. Most people don't know how to make their lips stay made up throughout the day. I used to avoid lip products all together because I thought it was a waste of time to spend a few minutes on something that will fade and wipe off in a short period of time. So I've gathered some of my favorite tips and methods for keeping lipstick on, without spending a bunch of money.

1) Does your lipstick seem to just disappear after having it on for a few minutes, without eating or disturbing it at all? Well you're definitely not alone. My trademark look is bright red lipstick with bare eyes, so this is the problem I constantly have when I'm too lazy to do the tip I'm about to share with you. My trademark look is bright red lipstick with bare eyes. The problem is the amount of wax in your lipstick. To sum it up, the higher the amount of wax that's incorporated into making the lipstick, the less time it will take for it to melt away. The wax isn't all bad though, it does help the lipstick glide on and shine to add a beautiful feminine touch to your look. :). A good way to avoid your lipstick melting off quickly is to lightly apply loose pale pwder to your lips before applying your lipstick. Just dab the powder on your lips (I just use my finger, but a Q-tip will work as well) and make sure you wipe off any excess powder. After you have applied the powder, line your lips, if that's your thing (trust me, I'll have a post about the dos and don'ts of lip liner) then apply your favorite lipstick, and you'll be good to go! :).


NOTE: To save time, I mix a batch of loose powder and a lipstick that's a shade darker than the look I'm going for together in a pot and apply to save myself time in the morning. The loose powder still soaks in some of the excess wax in the lipstick, giving you a thicker and longer lasting product.

2) Is it just the COLOR that fades from your lip product? (i.e. the result of eating, kissing, wiping your mouth with a napkin, etc.) For example, sometimes after eating a meal, I'll look in the mirror, and the lipstick is completely GONE from my upper lip, but not my bottom lip. This isn't about the wax in the lipstick. This is about the pigment in the lipstick itself. Always, and I repeat, ALWAYS, do this tiny experiment before you purchase any lip product (stores always have samples laying out). Take the lipstick, and run it on the back of your hand. Let it sit for a few seconds then LIGHTLY run your index finger back and forth over it. If the color instantly disappears, then you need to find a better product. If after rubbing it for about a minute and it stains your skin to where you need to wash your hands in order for it to be removed, then the color will last a lot longer.

I genuinely hope these two methods work for you as well as they've worked for my friends and me. :)

*Make up or no make up, YOU are beautiful, and unique. You always will be, and don't let anyone tell you different*